Information for Family Members Seeking
Nursing Home/Long-term Care
Finding a safe, clean, and trustworthy environment for a
loved one can be a very time-consuming and stressful decision. It is important to understand and become familiar
with several aspects of a nursing home lifestyle. Most importantly, what a nursing home
is. Nursing homes are primarily designed
to meet the specific needs of persons with ongoing mental problems and to
provide long-term care. The goal of
nursing home care is to provide care to best restore or maintain the patient’s
highest level of physical, social, and mental well-being.
Remember in your search that the selected facility will be the
person’s home and community, perhaps for the remainder of the person’s
life. The following information suggests
things to consider when beginning the search for the perfect environment:
C Most importantly, understand the family member’s disease,
treatment options, etc. and
that they may react in an unsuspected way to this change in their
lives
C There are various levels of care available within and between
facilities: skilled nursing
facility, intermediate care facility, and skilled nursing
facility for special disabilities. These
different options should be understood and best suited for the patient.
C Realize that the care takers of the facility will have Legal and
Medical Powers of Attorney for the patient (enables them to legally make
decisions on the patient’s behalf if they should ever become incompetent).
C Understand coverage of Medicare and Medicaid and which nursing
homes participate in these programs, also understand that nursing home care is
expensive, investigate the price ranges.
C Become familiar with the physicians and staff at the chosen
facilities and how their treatment programs operate.
C Know the nursing home will not be like home, it is a group
facility with multiple patients, and each patient does not always receive
one-on-one care.
C Understand mistakes may occur, as at home, things don’t always
go perfectly.
Once the previous suggestions have been taken into account, the
specific qualities and options of each individual nursing home should be
investigated. There will be positives
and negatives of each facility, but these should be weighed based on what would
best fit the patient. The following
criteria consists of several factors to be aware of in order to ensure a
knowledgeable decision on each nursing home and be sure to always involve the family
member as much as possible to ensure a comfortable choice.
- Begin the search with nursing homes that are close to
family and friends.
- Discuss with family and friends the decision and learn about
each nursing home through others with loved ones in nursing homes, health
professionals, employees, etc.
- Review state survey inspections of each facility (posted in
each facility as required by federal law and available on the Internet:
http://www.medicare.gov/nursing/home.asp)
- And when visiting, be sure to look for and inspect:
C facility size and patient number, a
large one may have more activities, yet be less personal
C visiting hours, some facilities offer them at anytime
C attitude and care of patients: Do they
look happy and active?
C cleanliness of every aspect of the
facility, including patients
C safety of wheelchairs, beds, and other
equipment
C activity programs available and
participation on a daily basis: Are
there outdoor activities? Are there special services (transportation,
off-campus trips, etc.)?
C quality of food, with an eclectic and
nutritious diet, ask for a taste!
C Comfort of patients, are they allowed personal belongings, are
valuables protected? How private and nice are the rooms, are they matched with
compatible roommates? Are problems taken
into consideration? How is the
temperature, etc.?
C Availability and number of staff members, is the interaction
frequent and cheerful? How responsive are they, and do they respect patient’s
needs and privacy?
C Treatment methods including physical restraints and medication
administered, is it common?
C availability and quality of physical
care: Dentist, Physician, etc.
This is not an all-inclusive list when searching for the best
care facility, but these things should be taken into serious
consideration. If a nursing home is
deemed acceptable, be sure to make several repeat visits at different times of
the week and day to affirm the decision.
It is also very important to discuss specific questions and concerns
with staff, other patients, and family members of patients.
Finally, before committing to any legal documents such as
contracts and financial agreements, make sure they are always fully understood
and discussed with a credible member of the administration and possibly a
lawyer.
For more information
- Contact:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI of Greater
Phone: 312-563-0445